By Ebi Nieketien
THE Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Delta State Chapter, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku, has renewed calls for the state government to urgently tackle the housing deficit affecting civil servants, stressing the need for low-cost homes to ease the growing accommodation burden on workers.
Ofobruku made the call during an exclusive interview with The Pointer, while reflecting on the union’s longstanding demand for affordable housing, noting that the issue has consistently been presented to the government over the years.
According to him, organised labour has sustained pressure on the matter, leading to discussions initiated in 2025 between the state government and the Federal Mortgage Bank to construct housing units across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Speaking further, he said, “I was informed that the project would start in Delta Central, where I come from. I insisted that since the majority of the workforce is located here in Asaba, the project should begin here.
“We are not asking the government to build houses for everyone immediately; they should first provide low-cost housing for workers before expanding to the wider public. ‘’ Negotiations progressed, and part of the agreement required the state government to provide land.
The government released land, about 1,000 housing units are to be built, I believe, around the Immigration area in Asaba.
The government has already issued the Certificate of Occupancy. Afterwards, I urged them to begin work immediately.’’
While applauding the government for taking steps to address the housing challenge, the labour leader described the 1,000 housing units as grossly inadequate when compared to the state’s workforce of nearly 50,000 workers.
